“We can be redeemed only to the extent to which we see ourselves.”
― Martin Buber
So there are plenty of candidates that could use a bounce back from last year to previous or promised form, to see themselves again as it were.
Ryan Miller - concussion/focus thing had him playing in a fog for too long. The biggest one who could rebound to previous form. If he can come close to his 2010 form, this is a playoff team. If he struggles like last year... it's another mad scramble at best to make it.
Jhonas Enroth - starter role and he too many "should have its" went through him. Make a couple of those stops and they have more points.
Ville Leino - Earth to Ville.... what the hell were you expecting? Tighten up that helmet strap and get going from day 1. Show us your sisu. Protracted snakebitten slumps and all that are an easy ticket to getting your ass shipped back to Europe for the rest of your days.
Mike Weber - OK, your "brother" is here now. Can you play smarter, simpler, safer hockey like you did in your first recall or two years ago again? Please? Stop handing the puck to the opposition in prime scoring areas and if you have to use the glass or wall, be strong and get it the **** out.
Cody McCormick - Broken by Glass. The urgency was clearly not there. You look like a player who got a bigger than expected payday and forgot all that hard work, rambunctiousness and energy that got you that payday last year. Your place on the team is no longer secure -- Scott's here to handle the knuckle chucking and guys like Porter and Ellis are going to push you for your spot. Let's see some energy or you'll be earning big coin to ride the bus.
Nathan Gerbe - Great d-zone play at times. What happened to getting the puck to the net though? Six goals? Stop watching your spin-o-rama highlights from ending '10-'11 and get back to work. You're better than that, even used as a checking player.
Luke Adam - Hey, Luker, great statistical start. Now show us that you aren't just a fluke, that you give a damn, that you can improve your game because there are some ******* big holes in it right now -- namely your d-zone play, backcheck, and complete lack of footspeed. Be the surprise.
Drew Stafford - Try less Flash shots this year and hit the net. Ennis is a small guy, don't break his back by making him carry you for another 30 games, 'k? Shorten up those scoreless/pointless streaks and things will go swimmingly.
Tyler Myers - No early season slump this year would do wonders. The defensive game has gotten better, the physical game can be scary (hello, Zubie), just keep it simple and don't try to do too much.
Christian Ehrhoff - ES points per minute went way up, but dude, stay in the lineup. Concussion issues and you're dropping the mitts? Brass ones, that's cool, just don't get hurt, thanks.
Thomas Vanek - Get healthy. Stay healthy. It's that simple.
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It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. - Aristotle
I'm looking for Myers to take the next step. After his huge rookie year he's been good, but he hasn't been that player that we all hoped he would be...yet.
Leino obviously If he would have had the production they were hoping for (50 points) they might have made the playoffs.
The injured guys get a pass from me, to a degree. Things happen sometimes.
The guy I'd most like to see have a redemption year is Myers. Simply because if he plays like the #1D that he can be, it fixes/hides/lessens other problems.
Ryan Miller: I don't see him being in Vezina form ever again, but if he can play like he did down the stretch, the team will be in good shape. I think that's likely.
Jhonas Enroth: If used properly, I see no reason he can't be a competent backup this year.
Ville Leino: He's here for the long-haul and no amount of whining will change that. If he bucks up, I can see 12-15 goals out of him. Not great...but certainly better than this year. Hopefully he can form some chemistry with his linemates.
Mike Weber: If he quits with the hand grenades, he can be a decent, defensive 6th with a touch of hitting. I think he starts the year on the bubble as the 7th.
Cody McCormick: I don't think he's ever going to be the same player again. I love Cody and his heart, but Tanner Glass turned his career upside down. By the end of this next season, he will likely look like a horse needing to be put to pasture...and with 1.2 million still on the books for another year.
Nathan Gerbe: If i had to pick between 16 goal Gerbe and 6 goal Gerbe...I'd say we're more likely to see the 6 goal version again. He's spunky and has heart, but I don't see him having the hands to make up for his size and make him an offensive threat in this league. Too small, too cutesy.
Luke Adam: I'd be surprised if he suits up in the NHL to start the year, unless in a different city. Too lazy in Rochester for my liking. You're 6'2. Even if you can't score a goal...hit somebody.
Drew Stafford: He's not going to ever be a consistent 30 goal scorer. One good year earned him a payday. But the FES line fired on all cylinders, so I think he puts up 25.
Tyler Myers: It's his year to turn the corner. I expect him to come out in beast mode and be the defenseman they signed long term. No more excuses.
Christian Ehrhoff: I think we get more of the same from him...good play, but he's not going to produce points like he did with the Sedins.
As for McCormick ... Im really not worried about him.. He'll bounce back.. Yeah he got his bell rung by Glass and it probably affected him from there out... but he'll be fine.
He dished out plenty to Glass as well...that was a kick ass fight...
As for McCormick ... Im really not worried about him.. He'll bounce back.. Yeah he got his bell rung by Glass and it probably affected him from there out... but he'll be fine.
He dished out plenty to Glass as well...that was a kick ass fight...
Cody just needs to learn a little defense .. ha
It was a heck of a fight, and I don't doubt Cody's ability or willingness to chuck them. But he had his bell rung pretty hard, and concussions like that take a heavy toll, especially on guys who plan on getting punched in the head a few dozen more times after. I see him slowing down like Mair did throughout the year but hope he can pull it together. Hopefully with Scott doing the heavy lifting against the stiffer teams, he can focus more on bringing energy and laying the body.
Edit: He had a heck of a year in 2010. 8 goals, 20 points, and 142 PIMs. Nothing to scoff at.
As for McCormick ... Im really not worried about him.. He'll bounce back.. Yeah he got his bell rung by Glass and it probably affected him from there out... but he'll be fine.
He dished out plenty to Glass as well...that was a kick ass fight...
Cody just needs to learn a little defense .. ha
Eh, he didn't go looking for much after that fight and didn't do well in the boughts he had. His ToI dropped by 3 minutes a night but he dropped off the table in terms of production. I'm sure they expected more than just 1 goal and 4 points, even in limited minutes.
At least his hits/game was pretty consistent year to year. It'll be interesting to see if someone like Ott added to the mix will up the overall physical play of all of them this year. Having more than one straw to stir the drink as it were.
Miller: Hopefully will bounce back to some degree. Not expecting vezina form, but if he plays close to how he finished the year, we'll be in good shape.
Enroth: Should be a solid backup. Should also be the starter for every pens game, seriously. they have miller's number and seem to be in his head.
Leino: Suck less, please.
Gerbe: Hopefully he goes back to being an annoying, goal scoring pest. He plays better when he's not trying really hard on offense and just uses his speed and tenacity to make plays, he doesn't have the moves to get past defensemen consistently at this level.
Myers: It would be nice if he pulled a sekera and really turned a corner this year.
Adam: Same as Leino. At least hit people this year.
Ehrhoff: For the love of god, don't get injured.
Weber: Don't handle the puck in your own end. Send it out off the glass, make the easy pass to your defense partner, or send it high in the air out to center ice. Make the easy play. He could be a solid bottom pair guy if not for the hand grenades.
Stafford: Between ennis' playmaking and foligno's crash/bang style around the net, he should find the puck on his stick a lot. Start burying good opportunities.
Vanek: Same as Ehrhoff. Also, get a new deke besides your through the legs toe drag thing, it works 1/5th of the time at best.
McCormick: Hopefully the concussion issues are behind him, and we have scott to fight against tougher guys now. It would be nice if he/kaleta/gerbe could bring some jam and energy to wear out other teams.
Complaining about Ehrhoff doesn't make sense. At all. Fluke injuries and a fight that spoke louder than people may realize...at least to me. I expect a full year of more of the same, which is great in my book.
With he, Myers, Sekera, Leo and Regehr as the stable top 5, it should be a stronger area of the team, like it was last year for large chunks.
Complaining about Ehrhoff doesn't make sense. At all. Fluke injuries and a fight that spoke louder than people may realize...at least to me. I expect a full year of more of the same, which is great in my book.
With he, Myers, Sekera, Leo and Regehr as the stable top 5, it should be a stronger area of the team, like it was last year for large chunks.
Which if you notice no one is complaining about Ehrhoff. Just wanting him to stay healthy -- they won a significant number of the games he was dressed for.
Which if you notice no one is complaining about Ehrhoff. Just wanting him to stay healthy -- they won a significant number of the games he was dressed for.
Quote:
Christian Ehrhoff - ES points per minute went way up, but dude, stay in the lineup. Concussion issues and you're dropping the mitts? Brass ones, that's cool, just don't get hurt, thanks.
Maybe "complaining" is off base...But...This is whiny. You're complaining about the fight, no doubt, something I also disagree with. The end result of it was unfortunate, but circumstantially, I loved it. Said a ton about his character. And he's in the fold for a long, long time - that was my first true moment of endearment. I know he missed time, which sucked, but I liked it and was happy to see it.
I guess we'd agree though that it shouldn't happen again... That was the "true blue and gold" moment, now stay healthy
i've been assassinating the same 3 core players for years... (roy, vanek, miller)
they represent everything the sabres have been for 5 years.
mentally weak&physically soft
i dont care that vanek pots 30 goals and takes a beating in front of the net... because that's ALL he does. it's not enough.
why do i think he doesn't care... because he had a letter on his chest, and this was his re-action
i don't think you can pin that all on vanek...no one tried to go after lucic at all.
w/ that being said, I really, really wish TV would actually work on his conditioning. He is easily the most out of shape guy in the top 9, and hodgson is probably the only guy slower/close to the same speed as him (unless Ott is also that slow? idk about him)
“We can be redeemed only to the extent to which we see ourselves.”
― Martin Buber
So there are plenty of candidates that could use a bounce back from last year to previous or promised form, to see themselves again as it were.
Ryan Miller
Jhonas Enroth
Ville Leino
Mike Weber
Cody McCormick
Nathan Gerbe
Luke Adam
Drew Stafford
Tyler Myers
Christian Ehrhoff
Thomas Vanek
I think one could add Regehr and Kaleta to the list of players - the former started strongly and played physically out of the gate just as advertised but seemed to show lots of wear and tear by mid-season and tailed off down the stretch, while the latter needs not only to prove he can stay healthy for more than 60 games but that he won't allow the NHL's rulings to neuter his game.
As for Ruff, I think he may be the single greatest Sabre candidate in need of redeeming himself - his annual habits of burning out his starting goalie; overplaying his 4th line grinders at key points of games; and inability to develop a respectable power play have become sad punch lines for their predictable repetition each season. One could say it happened a few years ago but, in the wake of more public criticism from his own players than we've heard in past years and a lack of any playoff success in the past 5 years, Ruff definitely seems to be standing at the edge of the plank IMO.
i've been assassinating the same 3 core players for years... (roy, vanek, miller)
they represent everything the sabres have been for 5 years.
mentally weak&physically soft
i dont care that vanek pots 30 goals and takes a beating in front of the net... because that's ALL he does. it's not enough.
why do i think he doesn't care... because he had a letter on his chest, and this was his re-action
If Vanek fights Lucic then not only does Lucic knock miller out for 2-3 months but he takes Vanek along with him. Blaming Vanek for not getting the **** wipped outta him like a 2 dollar ***** when you have 2 lines of guys better suited to respond to that situation is the height of stupidity. the only thing more ridiculous is the bolded to which Im only going to respond
As to the question if Erhroff, Myers, and Miller play like they are capable this team will win a lot more than it loses.
Maybe "complaining" is off base...But...This is whiny. You're complaining about the fight, no doubt, something I also disagree with. The end result of it was unfortunate, but circumstantially, I loved it. Said a ton about his character. And he's in the fold for a long, long time - that was my first true moment of endearment. I know he missed time, which sucked, but I liked it and was happy to see it.
I guess we'd agree though that it shouldn't happen again... That was the "true blue and gold" moment, now stay healthy
No, I'm not complaining about him fighting. It takes brass ones to drop the mitts as I said.
